Storm Ciarán: Falmouth student wakes up to find her roof has blown away

A student in Cornwall woke up to find the roof of her house had been blown off as Storm Ciarán hit the West Country.

Katie Marsh, a student in Falmouth, was woken up when the roof of her bedroom blew off her house overnight on Thursday 2 November.

Speaking to ITV West Country, she said: "At about 5:30am this morning, the ceiling collapsed in my room and fell on top of me, and it woke me up.

"I was terrified. I was screaming, crying a little bit and trying to get my laptop, and everything out of the way. I was quite hysterical."

She added: "The fire alarm was going off and I was screaming and I woke everyone else up in the house. It was just black and wind and rain. It was no longer a bedroom."

Ms Marsh said she is "still in shock" after the incident.

"I've not really processed exactly what's gone on. I've just been trying to salvage what I can and assess the damage, and try and work out where I'm gonna stay tonight," she added.

A Met Office yellow weather warning for rain remains in place across the South West until tomorrow.

Wind speeds of almost 80mph have already been recorded in the region and a Met Office yellow weather warning for wind remains in place until 5pm.

More than 8,500 homes in Cornwall have been left without power due to the conditions, the council has confirmed. Areas affected include Truro, Penzance, Camborne and Perranporth.

Hundreds of schools across Devon and Cornwall have been shut, and people are being advised to only travel if absolutely necessary with roads and rail lines blocked.

There are also a handful of flight cancellations from Exeter and Bristol airports.

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